The present invention relates to improvements in brick panel wall constructions, and more particularly, to a brick panel construction including a plastic foam backing board and load-bearing clip members that support the bricks which are attached to the backing board.
It is conventional to provide brick panel walls which generally consist of one-half inch thick kiln-fired bricks secured in conventional patterns to a backing board by a means of an adhesive. The backing board may typically be formed of an asphalt-impregnated wood fiber material sixteen and one-half inches high by forty-eight inches long, so as to receive six rows of two and one-quarter inch high by seven and five-eighths inch long bricks. The brick panels are applied to the supporting structure by hand driven or power driven nails through the open spaces between the bricks. Mortar is then applied to these three-eighth inch or half-inch wide spaces so as to conceal the joints between adjacent panels, to conceal the nails, and also to render the completed installation indistinguishable from conventional brick constructions. These brick panels are conventionally used in either original construction or in remodeling applications.
Examples of brick panels are found in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,326 and in the prior art referred to therein. While the brick panels described in my earlier patent have been satisfactory, there are several characteristics of the product which could be further improved.
One such area is in the backing board itself, wherein improved moisture resistance, to avoid rotting or delamination, would increase the durability of the product and would permit such panels to be installed all the way down to ground level or below. The vulnerability to moisture of presently used backing boards requires that such panels be terminated six to eight inches above the ground, requiring more costly construction alternatives from that level downward below ground level.
The current concern with improved insulation to conserve energy makes it desirable to provide a backing board having increased thermal insulation value.
Another area for improvement is in the assembly of the bricks to the backing board such that the entire load from the bricks is not borne by the backing board. The bricks are typically attached to the backing board by adhesive, with no direct mechanical connection to the wall supporting structure. The adhesive is subject to oxidation and deterioration which may permit one or more bricks to break away from the backing board. Further, the loading of the bricks on the backing board causes the panel to drift in a vertical plane which is also undesirable. Thus, there has been a need for a direct mechanical connection between the bricks and wall supporting structure such that the support for the bricks is not dependent upon the bond between the bricks and backing board.
Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide a brick panel construction having improved properties as described above.